Dear Wobbly,
First, thanks for your question. And second, you’re spot on.
I’ve spoken with a lot of organizational leaders over the last few months, and there is a lot of feeling of “wobbliness” around what’s happening now and concern about the future. What does everything that’s going on in the world mean for me, my team, and the business? What’s going to happen next? What do I do to get ready?
Your question makes me think of when I was raising my kids, especially as they were learning to walk. I was hanging out in a park, hypervigilant as my first child took unstable steps this way and that. Another parent sidled up to me.
“Hey, I couldn’t help but notice that you’re a bit tense. Everything ok?”
I relaxed a little as we chatted a bit about the crazy burden of parenting, and then I got some of the best advice in my life:
“You know, I’ve learned something that really helped me be a better parent. I noticed any time my kid fell down, they’d look at me before they reacted. If I responded calmly, reassuring them that everything’s ok, they usually brushed it off and went back to playing. If instead I panicked and rushed right over to them, the screaming would start and tears would flow. Respond or react - they’ll follow you.”
Now, I’m not suggesting your team members are children and you’re the parent. Responding to fears with compassion and care can be just what people need when they’re uncertain or hurting.
And more often than not, the people you lead will take the first cue from you.
In the current wobbly environment, I believe you have (at least) two choices about how to show up with those people who look to you for guidance, support, and reassurance.
Choice 1 - React with a scarcity mindset
This looks something like:
Seeing and commenting on lots of “problems” and how things aren’t working right
Reminding people that there are fewer resources and opportunities means we need to react to reduce negative impact
Focusing on minimizing by cutting expenses, budgets, and maybe even roles
Reacting with scarcity is a very popular choice, especially for larger organizations. The idea is if we “shrink to greatness” - if we cut, snip, scrimp, and defund - everything will be ok. If we have zero employees, we would have infinite profitability, right? Ok, maybe not that far, but in this mode, less is always better.
Choice 2 - Respond with an abundance mindset
This looks something like:
Seeing challenges as presenting new possibilities
Asking how we, as a team, grow more of the good things in service of what could be, in tandem with the real situation at hand?
Focusing yourself and the team on doing more of what we do best and what’s most needed
Now could be the time to invest in what could be, even as things feel unclear. You’ll be in rare company, and definitely more poised and ready for when things turn around. And where there’s opportunity, there is risk. This isn’t forward-progress-at-all-costs - this is thoughtful consideration of what could be better.
So, which choice will you make?
(And, Wobbly, you may already be down the popular scarcity mindset path. If that’s serving you, great - just keep doing what you’re doing. If you’re not sure which one, ask a few team members which mindset you and the rest of the team appear to be using most.)
Regardless of which path you want to be on, a great place to start is creating a shared picture of what’s actually real. Take stock of your situation and challenge the stories you and your team are telling yourselves - what is truly real and what are we conjecturing or assuming? How do we know what’s really happening? Where might we be stuck in our stories and not yet seeing what could be?
Then, armed with what challenges and opportunities are real, ask yourself and your team to think about what we could:
Do less of what’s not working or helping?
Do more of what’s needed and we’re great at?
Do something completely different?
I hope reading through this you can imagine more how to get more solid footing for the next steps you want to take in this wobbly environment. While everyone is experiencing challenges, the choices you make can create the response you and your team need most.
Having a supportive partner to lean on can provide some stability as you deal with uncertainty and change. We’re up for a no-obligation conversation about what you’re doing to support your team in tough times - or maybe about what you’re doing to support yourself!
